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Thursday, 24 July 2014

Since having a girl, I have to say shoes has taken on a whole new meaning, especially due to the fact that she is more obsessed with shoes than I am!

However, thankfully we have had amazing generous hand me downs and only recently I purchased her first pair of new shoes, which I just could not resist, adorable purple boots.

They were not expensive nor real leather, and therefore it did not take her long to scuff the toes. I was hugely disappointed, until searching pintrest I cam across the shewearsflowers blog where she fixed her little girls shoes using mod podge!

I could not wait to get started and the results are great! I choose this cute flower print, the smaller the print you can find the better.

I first covered the shoes with mod podge, then put an entire strip of fabric across the top of the shoe and pushed it into the rubber lining as much as possible. I put another layer of mod podge on top and left it to dry. I then used a craft knife to cut off the excess fabric.

I used the outdoor mod podge, but you could also try the hard coat for this job, and add a few more coats to ensure it lasts long!

I am so super chuffed that we have made a pair of shoes last a bit longer! I thinks some super hero fabric & the boys shoes are next!

Both workshops are $80 each and are all inclusive as well as receiving a tool to take home!

The ombre rosette cake is such a versatile cake to learn how to make! This cake is perfect for baby showers, pretty birthday afternoon tea's, from young to old girls birthday cakes and even wedding cakes! We have been browsing on pinterest and have come across some amazing inspiration from these cakes.

This ombre outside naturally leads itself to having a layered effect inside too! Look at this amazing cake below made by Tracey who blogs over at Something like Sugar from Dunedin (she also makes cakes to order and we can see why! yum yum!)

One of our class attendants on Wednesday is learning to do the Rosette Cake so she can make it for her wedding, we can't wait to see the result! Have a look at these cakes from our pinterest boards, original links are below

Have you had trouble working with fondant before, not sure how to get that smooth professional finish? Well our workshop on Monday is perfect for that! Learn all the tips & techniques you need to wow the crowds at your next party!

You also get to learn how to make this beautiful fondant rose to put on top, or make mini versions of it if you like to go on cupcakes!

The possibilities are endless with the skills you will learn from this class! Have a look at some examples from our pinterest board below.

Monday, 12 May 2014

At Make we understand how exciting it is for kids to craft, but coming up with ideas that they will not only learn from but also cherish and be able to use is hard to find! So we have created a special programme after school for those crafty kids in your family!

These workshosp are aimed for 8 year olds + (if your child is younger and you think they can do it, they are welcome as long as you stick around until we feel comfortable that they are). They are also totally suitable for boys & girls.

Book either as an entire workshop for the term (and receive an amazing craft book for kids worth $40) or book separately! 8 spaces per class.

Our first session will cover making a patchy memo board using a wide selection of fabrics, make it patchy or make one big bold print! All materials included $25

In week two we will be recovering lampshades in our favorite fabrics, ribbons, felt & more! You child will go home with a fantastic homemade lampshade! All materials included $25

Week three sees the sewing machine come out! Some sewing experience is great but not necessary. Make a perfect throw to keep you cozy on those cold nights coming up! All materials included $25

Week four we will be decorating and making an applique pillow case! Perfect to decorate your room! All materials included $25

Week five we make this simple but effective door stop again in the fabric of your choice! We may also add some embellishments! All materials included $25

Week six we learn the art of decoupage and make some creative letters, using papers, comics, fabric! All materials included $25

In the final week we will be printing onto Canvas bags, using a variety of methods, including painting, stenciling, freezer paper and applique All materials included $25

Friday, 2 May 2014

What to do when you REALLY want to get something made, and they do to..

Creating with or for our kids can sometimes be hard, whatever art or craft activity we get out, they are immediately interested in it aswell. And lets be honest here, sometimes that can be just plain annoying!

Perhaps you have a last minute card to make, and you hold a pretty high standard for yourself, visible glue will not be tolerated! What do you do when your pre-schooler begs to 'help' you?

Stamped Aeroplane Garland

When the answer is NO

"Mum, Mum, can I please carve stamps with you?"

The answer was no.

I wasn't going to let my 4 year old carve stamps with sharp carving tools (call me over protective but I value his fingers)

But I did want him to be involved. I was carving stamps to use for his birthday party, we used them in a variety of ways, including in the aeroplane garland above, on wrapping paper and the food boxes.

I wanted them to be made well, but I didn't want my high standards for my own creations to put my son off having a go, so this is what I did.

Acknowledge him. - "I see you are really interested in carving stamps with me, it looks like a lot of fun."

Explain WHY he couldn't - "These carving tools are very sharp, and I would never want you to be hurt, so I won't let you use them." (Notice I emitted "because I don't want you ruining my stamps")

Give him options - "If you want you can wait until I have finished carving them and help me with the stamping, or I can give you some scissors and foam and you can make your own stamps now."

Encourage his efforts - "I can see you are concentrating really hard on your stamps, you have cut up a lot of foam very carefully with your scissors" - Rather than praising his efforts I prefer to 'feedback' to him what he is doing, and encourage the behaviours and skills rather than the art itself. (concentration, persistence, fine motor-skills, patience, care)

Concentrating very hard on his careful cutting and sticking

The result?

About 2 hours of very enjoyable side by side crafting and several sets of very nice stamps!

Once I had finished my stamps, he stamped 9 sheets of large newsprint that we made into wrapping paper for his pass the parcel game. He used 3 shapes, a cloud, an orange Dusty Crophopper and a black Echo & Bravo stamp (characters from the Planes movie - his chosen party theme).

My favourite part was that he told stories the entire way, this is Dusty racing in front, this is Dusty getting lost in the storm, this is Echo and Bravo and their friends rescuing Dusty stamp, stamp, stamp and so on. It was a very entertaining narrative and all the while we were producing very personalised and useful wrapping paper.

I think it can be hard, but very fulfilling to create a space where we give our children quality tools and supplies, some safety and messiness boundaries and then allow them to create without passing judgement on their artwork or correcting them. (the words good, nice and well-done are banned in our household)You will surprised at what they can do!

Painting Planes at the party

Keeping Them Quiet (and focused!)

You could have heard a pin drop when the 6 four years olds sat down to paint their planes at his party, it was amazing, and BONUS there was barely any mess. I think by giving them good quality art paints, fine brushes and interesting and challenging items to work with they really stretched their skills, imaginations and concentrated really hard.

They same could have been said of one of The Make Cafe'skid's fabric printing workshops today. Imagine a room full of 5-12 years old quietly concentrating on their masterpieces. The only thing we could hear was the parents quiet whispers of awe in the background!

Kid's Fabric Printing

Equipped with the tools, safety, and product boundaries and the right environment, our children will astonish us with their creativity, storytelling and artful insights. We just have to give them the chance!

Friday, 25 April 2014

The Art of Pressing Flowers

(& other crafts my mother taught me)

Recently my mother and I have been tackling the foreboding wasteland that is her craft room. Once many years ago my childhood bedroom, now a mountain of (I am sure there was a floor somewhere) clutter.

Today as she worked her way through more boxes, bins and bags, and I poked my head in hoping to spy some lost treasures to glean for my own towering collection of crafty supplies. We uncovered the last remnants of her pressed flower collection.

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Pressed Flowers: Lasting reminders of many hours spent together

Crafts my mum taught me

My mum wasn't really into conventional crafts, she sewed on occasion in times of desperation, she never crocheted, her knitting pile was much higher on the started but not finished side and her card making mostly consisted of recycling old cards as often as possible.

To be fair, she grew up in a village in the mountains of Papua New Guinea, so the closest craft store was at least a 4 mile hike, several river crossings, a small single prop aeroplane flight and several month boat ride away. So she learnt to make do, and appreciate the beauty of what was around her, and she thoughtfully passed this onto our family.

When it came to corn husk dolls, acorn people, turtles made from sea shells, anything involving sticks, flowers or pinecones she was in her element.

Pressed flower arranging, all the rage in the 90's

Lessons learnt from pressing flowers

Though my passion for sewing was obviously not passed down to me by my mum, the heart of crafting, thrifting and seeing beauty in the simple things was, and it's one of her greatest legacies.

Do you know how long it takes to press flowers?

It starts with hours of slow methodical work.. then months to see your results.

The process of pressing flowers

Carefully pick the flowers, and carry them back home. - Handle that which is fragile with love and care.

Remove the lumpy bits you don't want to keep. - Evaluating and discarding that which is not worth keeping.

Lay out the flowers, so that none are touching, on some tissue paper, sandwiched in a heavy book. - Some things take time and pressure to reach their potential

Store away somewhere safe and wait a few months. - Patience is always a virtue

Remember that a few months ago you pressed some flowers and find them! - Don't give up on or forget about that which is stored away, waiting for it's moment to shine.

Admire your pressed flowers, though they might not be as vibrant and soft as the ones you started with. - True beauty is not just in youth, or lost over time.

Create something new and beautiful with your flowers. - Creating new from something old

Pressing rose petals

My mother, my sister and I spent countless hours in this way, sharing stories, tears, laughter and creativity. So maybe the result was something most people wouldn't hang on their wall. (at least not since the year 2000) But the true value is in the making, and the time spent together and the lessons learnt.

Sunday, 13 April 2014

One more week until school holiday's start! With this current weather it is best to have a few outings planned to keep them occupied and we have lots of creative fun things to keep them busy. We have also added 2nd listings to some our more popular workshops so make sure to check in case you think you missed out already.

A fantastically fun 3 day workshop for any
child who loves to create! Come along and learn to sew things you will love.
Over the course we will create 3-4 projects from the book, We Love To Sew,
which you get to keep! All materials included for making the projects during
the class including: Zipper Pouch, Name Bunting and a Skirt! Ages 8+

Does your child dream of
making a beautiful quilt that will last a lifetime? Make it happen with our
Learn to Quilt workshop! This workshop runs over 3 days for an hour and
a half each session. They will learn to cut and piece, layer and quilt and
bind their gorgeous quilt! Ages 8+ Suitable for both boys & girls! Last holidays we had 2 boys join us and they made amazing quilts!

If your child has some sewing
experience this is a really fun workshop for them to do! They will make a cute
bag in this workshop which runs over 2 days. All materials are included as
well as sewing machines. Ages 8+